On to Comic-Con!

It’s that time of year again, when over 130,000 geeks, nerds, collectors, artists, fanboys and fangirls of all stripes converge on San Diego for “The Nerd Prom.” And, once again, I’ll be making the pilgrimage to immerse myself in the beautiful chaos of Comic-Con.

This will be myfourthtrip to this massive pop culture convention, but without a doubt, each year brings something special.

For example, this year is the first year that my wife Jen and I are bringing our entire family to California: our three kids, ages 7, 9, and 13, plus my mom. (My dutiful brother Todd will hold down the home fort while we’re gone.) For them, this is really a long-overdue, first-ever, out-of-state family vacation. While I work my way through mile-long lines and avoid getting trampled on the expo floor, they’ll be off exploring San Diego, which my wife often describes as her favorite Mainland city.

Our teen daughter Katie, however, is as curious about Comic-Con as she is about Sea World and the San Diego Zoo. She is also downright obsessed with the TV series “Glee” (and curious about a few others). So she and I will take on the San Diego Convention Center together for at least a day or two of the program… most notably spending Saturday night outside, in line for the big “Glee” panel on Sunday morning. Talk about a father-daughter bonding experience!

The TV show “LOST” is what first drew us to Comic-Con, and while the show is long gone, there will still be two “LOST” panels (one hosted by fellow podcasters and good friends Jay and Jack) and “LOST” fan meetups this year. But there are always dozens of other TV shows, movies, and media properties that we’re interested in. Comic-Con is the still the place to be, the once-a-year epicenter of pop culture.

Indeed, a couple of months ago, my wife and I launched (or relaunched) our daily pop culture podcast called “Popspotting.” So I plan to do my best to collect news and audio for our listeners who aren’t able to attend Comic-Con in person.

Finally, while I will continue to post updates to Twitter, photos to Flickr, and videos to YouTube — as always, broadcasting more than you might ever want to know about what I’m up to — this year I will also be blogging about Comic-Con for Honolulu Pulse, the online events and entertainment hub of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

I plan to share both news and other tidbits from official Comic-Con events, as well as personal observations and experiences… much like what I already do everywhere else, but perhaps with a few more words than usual! Check it out:

Note: The blog at Honolulu Pulse will go live at midnight on Wednesday, while I’m in the air over the Pacific Ocean. The links will start working then!

I’m glad to hear that there are still a couple of “Lost” panels this year, keeping the flame alive!

Speaking of “Lost”: What do you think about Terry O’Quinn joining the cast of “Hawaii Five-0” next season? Personally, I’m stoked, although it sounds like his ex-Navy SEAL character could be the polar opposite of John Locke — might take some getting used to! Still, I hope he turns out to be a good addition, and that the producers make the most of his character.